Clay Animation

Clay Animation is an obscure yet amazing art form. In the following ten steps, you will learn how to turn a ball of clay into a figure of your choice. Then you will animate the figure and create a short clay animation video of your own. This form of animation is most often called "Stop-motion animation" because that is what it is. You are animating something that can't move.

1. Buy plasticine or polymer clay and wire at your local craft store. Any size wire will do. Make sure the clay will not harden when exposed to air. Purchase any color of clay you desire, but also purchase gray clay to use as a base.
2. Cut about a three foot piece of wire and bend it in half. Starting at the bent end, twist both strands of the wire together.
3. Form the wire into any shape you wish. Form it in the general outline of whatever you are trying to make. Do not include fingers. This shape is called an armature, and it is the frame on which you will mold your clay. This will help support your clay figure when you begin to animate it.
4. Start molding a thin layer of gray clay onto the armature or wire frame. The gray clay acts as a neutral base on which you will later mold other colors of clay.
5. Create a figurine for clay animation. Begin putting on the other layers of colored clay. For example, if you are creating a person from clay, then you mold different colors of clay onto the figure for things such as the shirt or pants. If you are creating a zebra, you may want to use black and white clay to make stripes.
6. Begin animating your figure. Set up a still digital camera at the angle in which you wish to capture the animation. A tripod is essential in this situation. For the animation to flow, it needs to all be captured from the same angle. Without a tripod, it isn't going to work.
7. Place the figure on a flat surface. Carefully bend it into a starting position and take a picture of the figure with the camera.
8. Move the figure very slightly into the next position, then take another picture. Each picture is called a frame. Film runs at 24 frames per second, and digital video runs at 30. Be very precise while animating your figure. If you move it too much, it will appear to jump in the video. If you remove the figure from the camera's view, it will seem to disappear.
9. Continue to move the figure and take pictures until you have completed your desired animation. If you run out of pictures before you have finished, save the pictures to your computer and leave your figurine in the exact same position. Clear the camera and continue shooting.
10. Load the pictures onto a computer. Use a photo editing program to speed up each individual picture so that it creates a movie. Watch your creation and show it to whoever you wish.

Comic Books in 3D, Holographic, Digitized

Comic Books in 3D

The thing about comic books nowadays should have a dramatic make over. High-technology evolution can make that possible. In the era of information technology, comic publishers will have the chance to come up with feasible ideas of changing the fields of comic drawing. With all the technologies springing up like mushrooms, comic book illustrations can have a major facelift. Readers cannot deny it that they are getting tired of seeing their comic books drawn in pencils and inks. It is time to make an awesome change. Comic book publishers should have to think some other ways on how to make over will result to making a valuable impact to the readers and comic book fanatics. But it is time lay down the cards and see if current and useful technologies are suitable for implementing the comic book evolution.

Holographic Comic Books

During the early 80's, hologram was a thing that anybody can find around. From bags to wallets and kitchen utensils. It was a fad among youngsters with even their pencil cases were designed with holographic images of their favorite cartoon characters or movie idols. The reason for this was the unique three dimensional or 3D effect of this optical illusion. Holograms can be done by layers of photographic images. One layer is the original photo and the other layer is the photo being diffused by light. With the combination of it, the image seems to be in 3D appearance. By that sense, comic books can also be in hologram to make it appear in 3D. Usually publishers of comic books do the hologram effects on only the front and back cover of it. Why not do it from start to end? It can be more appealing to the readers and it can certainly attract more fanatics. The reason is, it is really a one of a kind design for comic books. Right now visual entertainments are in 3D so let it go with the flow. But the text dialogue of it, should be like the way it is.

Comic Books Got Digitized

Now that Marvel Comic books have been introduced as one of the several applications available on iPad, there is a concrete reason to make it in 3D. Images on the digital comic books or also known as comic e-books can be easily converted into 3D effects. Aside from that, readers may have the comic e-books anywhere they go with their iPad and access it anytime they want to read it. One more thing that Marvel Comics should really consider is the digital audio for it. With these pieces put together, three of the five human senses can interact, the sense of sight, hear and touch, when accessing a comic e-book. Some kind of a digital experience. Visual 3D entertainment has really come to an age. It will be breath-taking to see how human artistic imagination and mastery can capture its audience. The three dimensional representation of images are advancing to give pleasure and can be almost a real life experience. Maybe give the technology a few more years then it will be totally a great digital experience for all.

Now, Books take on 3D Avatar

SEOUL: Pop-up is so passe: South Korean scientists have developed 3D technology for books that makes characters literally leap off the page. 

The popularity of 3D entertainment has been given a boost by a slew of recent films, including the sci-fi blockbuster " Avatar" and Tim Burton's " Alice in Wonderland". 

Several companies are also offering 3D televisions and a 3D video game console will be launched soon. At South Korea's Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, researchers used 3D technology to animate two children's books of Korean folk tales, complete with writhing dragons and heroes bounding over mountains. 

Pictures in the books have cues that trigger the 3D animation for readers wearing computer-screen goggles. As the reader turns and tilts the book, the three-dimensional animation moves accordingly. "It took us about three years to develop the software for this," said Kim Sang-cheol, the team leader of the project. 

Kim said the technology could be used for any type of book and sees it eventually being used for images displayed over smartphones or at museums to enhance exhibits. But those waiting for 3D books may have to wait long. "It will take a while to market this technology to the general public," Kim said. He was not sure of the eventual price but thinks it will be affordable enough to be mass marketed.

Read more: Now, books take on 3D avatar - The Times of India